10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
11 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.
12 The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.
13 The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.
14 A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
16 A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.
How often is our way "right in our own eyes"? So right indeed that we completely neglect to seek counsel from those wiser than ourselves.
But the verse I really want to zero in on is verse thirteen. "The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble." This verse reminds me of Phodidas's story which took place during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Phodidas grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist home and even as a young man was called on to hold active responsibility in his church, often preaching from his heavily marked bible.
Caught up in the horrific genocide and selected to die, Phodidas was ordered to dig a grave for himself. As he dug, his thoughts were silent prayers, begin God to work a miracle and deliver him. The grave got deeper and still no answer. One of the killers picked up the marked bible from beside the grave and leafed through it. "What do the colours mean?" He asked.
"Those are my favorite verses."
The man begun to read the highlighted verses and then asked incredulously, "Are you sure you've read all these verses?"
"Yes." Phodidas replied. The grave was finished. God had not delivered Phodidas.
Suddenly, the bible reading killer said, "Why should we use this grave in our field for this man we do not know?" The other killers agreed and it was decided to use the grave for another man they had just killed. Before the grave was filled in, the killers prayed, "Mary, mother of Jesus, receive him."
All of a sudden, Phodidas's attitude changed. "Don't let me be separated from these people before I tell them who You are." He prayed.
The group moved out of the field and closer to the highway and Phodidas was about to begin digging a second grave when the killer, who was still holding the marked bible, asked, "Can I keep it?"
Phodidas could see that the Holy Spirit was at work on this man's heart so he boldly replied, "Yes. But may I have the bible and say something before I dig?"
This caused a lively argument amongst the killers. Some were excited and wanted to hear while others shouted, "He's our enemy. He has nothing to tell us!"
Finally, an older member of the group said, "Those who want to listen, listen. Those who don't, shut your ears when he's finished we will kill him." And so Phodidas began to preach to the group of killers. Drawing illustrations from the war going on around them, he taught the men about the 'tribe' who have given their hearts to Jesus Christ.
When he finished, he said, "Now I will say a prayer and then I will dig a grave."
At the end of his prayer, one of the killers shouted: "If anyone kills this man, his blood be upon him."
"No, we can't kill him!" The others agreed. "Let him go!"
And so God gave grace and worked through a sermon to save His servant's life.
"The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble." Prov 12:10-16
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